Packing chest



r Feb. 3', 1942. G. M. TAYLOR ETAL 2,271,669

- PACKING CHEST Filed Jan. 4, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig l Lewis E Elrudhuw .5mn-mel E- GPE En Feb. 3, 1 942. G, M TAYLOR ETAL Y 2,271,669

PACKING CHEST Filed Jan. 4, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inve 111.13115 Gul En M Tuyl g r L Ewis R. Brudahnw E111-nu El Er. Gre en Patented Feb. 3, 1942 S PATENT OFFICE PACKING CHEST Galen M. Taylor, Cooper, Tex., Lewis R. Bradshaw, Herndon, Va., and Samuel G. Green,

Gray, Ga.

Application January 4, 1940, Serial No. 312,382

(Cl. 19o-8) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, `1928;'370 0. G. 757) 6 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Goverment for governmental purposes, without the payment to usof any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a packing and transportation chest.

It is an object of the invention to provide a chest of sturdy and light construction especially formed to provide a support for the control box disclosed in our U. S. copending application No. 312,380, filed on even date herewith, in operative position in the lire control system disclosed in said application and to also serve as a packing and transportation chest for the control boX.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a packing chest arranged to support and house a pair of opposed seats for the convenience ofthe operators of the control box aforesaid.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly line 4-4 of Fig. 2 of the chest showing the operators seats extended in full lines and supporting any desirable object, such as the control box above referred to, in dashed lines. The seats and control box or other object are shown folded to the position they occupy for transportation.

within the chest in dashed lines;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View taken on the ventional manner, to the side and end walls I3 and I4, respectively, of the body I5 of the chest. The body portion I5 may be formed from a single blank of sheet metal or of separate side and end walls as preferred, but in either event its interior corner portions are reinforced by angle reinforcing members I6 disposed as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The upper edge portion of the body member I5 is also reinforced, as by inturning the upper edge portions of the side and end walls I3 and I4 into overlapping engagement with the body of the walls in such manner as to form the inwardly projecting bead I6 located at the upper edge of ,the body I5.

Seat assemblies generally designated at I'I of substantially identical construction are disposed at either end portion of the chest and are so arranged as to be folded into inoperative position within the chest or extended for support by the chest into such a position that operators of the Vcontrol box or similar device, indicated in dotted lines at I8 in Fig. 4, may be seated thereon in convenient operating relation with respect to the box I8 or other object.

Each seat assembly Il includes a pair of laterally spaced bracket members I9, preferably of angle iron construction, pivoted at their lower end portions by horizontally disposed pivot elements 20 mounted in supports 2I, which may be angle clips secured to the bottom portion II of the chest adjacent either end thereof. To provide proper pivotal movement of the bracket members I9 about pivot elements 20 the spacers 22 are mounted on the pivotal elements in interposed relation to the adjacent surfaces of the supports 2I and bracket members, and to increase the bearing support of the pivotal element 2U in the specific embodiment of the invention disclosed two spacers 22 may be employed in each joint with onek spacer secured to the bracket member I9 and the other spacer secured Y to the support 2I. As shown more particularly in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5 the pivotal end portions of the brackets I9 and supports 2| are arranged in substantially parallel relation with the side walls of the chest while the bracket member portions extending away from the pivots are bent, as indi-cated at 23, adjacent the pivots to extend away therefrom in symmetrical converging relation. In the normal extended position of the brackets I9 as shown in full lines in Fig. 4, the brackets are vinclined toward the transverse median line of the chest and are of such length and so bent or otherwise formed as indicated at 24 as to Vprovide substantially vertically disposed terminal portions 25 protruding above the upper edge of the chest any desired distance within limits such that the terminal portions will not overlap When the brackets are pivoted to the folded position of the seat structures I1 as shown in dashed lines in Fig. 4.

Each pair of bracket members I3 at opposed ends of the chest are joined by a transverse bar or similar element 26 extended between the vertical portions 25 adjacent the lower parts thereof and suitably secured thereto, as by Welding. Intermediate its ends each bar `26 has spaced collars 21 aixed thereon in symmetrical relation with respect to the transverse median line of the bar and a seat post -28 of any desirable construction, but, herein shown as preferably being of T-shape in cross section, is pivotally secured as by means of the sleeve 29 to the .bar 26 between the collars 21 with the stem lflange 38 vertically disposed and adapted to engage the upper edge of the chest with the flange 3l horizontally disposed in the normal extended position of the seat assembly. As will be obvious to those skilled in the art the joints between the bars .23 and seat posts 28 may be assembled by any of the conventional expedients employed for such purpose.

A seat member 32 provided with depending spaced guides 33 grooved as indicated at 34 to slidably receive the flange 3l of a seat post 28 is mounted on each seat post in the manner disclosed in Fig. 6. The stem flanges 30 of each seat post are formed with a plurality of spaced apertures 35 and the depending guides 33 are also apertured as indicated at 36 on an axis adapted to be aligned with the Vprolongation of Aany of the axes of apertures 35, so that the seat may be adjusted longitudinally of the seat post with the apertures 33 aligned with a selected aperture 35 to receive any suitable retaining element such as a bifurcated spring pin 31 having an enlarged terminal at its bifurcated end formed to iprovide a retaining shoulder 38.

Centrally of each end lof the chest rthe :end Walls I4 have secured thereto in any suitable manner upright reinforcing and-supporting* struts 39 which extend from the bottom portion II of the chest upwardly to a position in :line with the upper edge of the chest and have their upper end portions 48 bifurcated to receive between the bifurcations elements y4I depending from the stem flanges 38 of the seat posts. The bifurcations and depending elements 4I are apertured so as to have the apertures therein aligned when the seat assemblies are extended for receiving detent pins 42 similar in construction to the pins 31.

To adapt the bracket members I9 when extended to support any desirable work, such as the control box I8, vwithin convenient relation to the seat assemblies I1, work vsupport members or feet 43 are secured to the upper ends'of `the portions 25 of the bracket members in normal relation thereto so as to be substantially hori- Zontally disposed and extended in the direction of the adjacent end walls `I4 in the position of the bracket members when extended as shown in full lines in Fig. 4. The members 43 may be separate elements secured to the brackets I9 or they may be formed by simply cutting away one leg of the angle constituting each bracket `member I9 as indicated at 44 and bending the other leg of the angle to a position normal to itself as disclosed in the instant case. 'Positioning of the control box i8 or other work on the feet 43 is facilitated by the angle retaining members 45 Agage the work .in interthreaded relation.

secured to the outside corner portions of the feet and if desired the feet may be reinforced by blocks 46 secured to the underside of the feet in abutting relation with the body of the bracket members so as to obviate the tendency of the work to bend the feet about their lines of junction with the bracket members, and where it is desired to provide means to rigidly connect the control box I8 or other work with the feet 43 the blocks 46 may be formed with internal threads for receiving screw fasteners 41 adapted to en- The vfasteners V41 may also be used Within reasonable limits to level the work.

Fastening means 48 are secured to the bottom portion II of the chest and are adapted to receive the flanges 30 of seat posts 28 in the folded position of the seat assemblies. The means 48are apertured so as to be aligned with one of the apertures 35 when the seat posts 28 are in folded position of the seat assemblies whereby a retaining` pin l42rnay be inserted Within the aligned apertured portions to retain the seat assemblies in folded position.

Any suitable supporting structure such as that disclosed in Fig. 1 at 49 may be used to support the control box I8 from 'the bottom portion II in a manner to distribute the weight thereof over as great an area of the bottom as possible and the chest may be closed by a closure member of any yconventional design herein omitted for the sake of clarity. The closure as is well known in the art may be provided with steady rests for engaging and securing the control box against displacement relative to the chest 'when the latter is packed therein and the closure is in chest closing relation.

To facilitate handling ofthe chest the same is provided with conventional handles as indicated at 50 disposed adjacent the four upper corners of the chest. v

When it is desired to convert the chest Afrom a packing chest into a seat and Work support the control box I8 or other work is removed `from the chest and the pins 42 removed from the apertures in stem flanges 38 and fastening means 48. The brackets I9 and seat posts 28 are .then extended to the positions shown in Fig. 4 and the vpins 42 inserted Within the apertures 4in the bifurcations of portions 48 of struts 39 and depending elements 4I of seat vposts 23v to secure the 'seat assemblies I1 in extended positions. Pins 31 are next removed and the seats 32 adjusted longitudinally of the seat posts 28 as desired. The seats `after adjustment are secured in 'adjusted :positionfby inserting the pins 31 within the apertures of guides 36 and aligned aperture 35 in flange 38. Control box I8 or other work is vnow positioned on the supporting feet 43 and secured in position through interthreaded engagement with the threaded fasteners 41 which may also be adjusted to level the control box on the feet 43. To convert the device from a correlated seat and Work support as shown in full lines in Fig. 4 into a packing chest as shown in dashed lines in said figure a procedure just the reverse of that above outlined is followed. In folding the seat assemblies, attention is pointed to the Yfact that the seats 32 are moved to a position Where the pins 31 may be inserted in the apertures '35 'of the guides 33 and innermost apertures 35 on flanges 30 as shown in dashed lines in Fig. 4 in order that the seats I1 will clear the supports 49 on the bottom portion II of the chest.

vHaving now particularly described what is at present regarded as a preferable embodiment of the invention what We claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

1. In a combined packing chest and seat support, a chest having a body portion open at its top, a bracket member pivotally mounted within the chest, a seat, a post connecting the seat to the bracket member for pivotal movement relative thereto, the length of the bracket member extending from its pivotal mounting Within the chest to the pivotal connection With said post being so related to the chest that said bracket member may be pivoted to a position Where the post may be engaged with the top edge of said body portion with the seat substantialli7 horizontally disposed, and means for securing the bracket member and post in position with said seat substantially horizontally disposed.

2. In a combined packing chest seat and Work support, a chest having a body portion open at its top, a bracket pivotally mounted Within the chest, a seat, a post connecting the seat to the bracket for pivotal movement relative thereto, the length of the bracket extending from its pivotal mounting Within the chest to the pivotal connection with said post being so related to the chest that said bracket may be pivoted to a position where the post may be engaged With the top edge of said body portion With the seat substantially horizontally disposed, means secured Within the chest for retaining the bracket and post in position with said seat substantially horizontally disposed and Work supporting members secured to said bracket member.

3. In a combined packing chest convertable to a correlated seat and Work support, a chest having a body portion open at its top, a pair of laterally spaced bracket members, means pivotally mounting one end portion of each of the bracket members Within the chest adjacent a Wall portion of said body portion, a transverse element interconnecting the end portions of said bracket members remote from their pivotal mounting .means a seat post pivotally mounted on the transverse element, a seat adjustably mounted on the seat post, the length of said bracket members extending between their pivotal mounting means and interconnecting transverse element being so related to the depth of the chest that said bracket members may be pivoted Ato a position where the seat post may be engaged with the top edge of said body portion in substantially horizontal position, an upright support provided with a bifurcated end portion adapted to receive the seat post when disposed in engaging relation secured to a Wall of said body portion and means for securing the seat post in said bifurcated end portion.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said brackets have work supporting feet secured to the terminal portions thereof remote from the pivotal mountings for the bracket members.

5. In a combined packing chest seat and Work support, a chest having a body portion open at its top, a pair of laterally spaced angular bracket members, means secured to the bottom portion of the chest pivotally mounting one end portion of each bracket member thereto, said bracket members being symmetrically converged relative to each other away from their pivotal mounting and of such length as to have end portions protruding above the top edge of said body portion in predetermined inclined position of the bracket members, said end portions of the bracket members being formed to be substantially vertically disposed in said predetermined inclined position of the bracket members, a transverse bar interconnecting the end portions of the brackets adapted to be vertically disposed, a seat post of T-shape in cross section pivotally mounted on the transverse bar and adapted to engage the top edge of said body portion inY said predetermined inclined position of the bracket members, a seat provided With spaced depending grooved guides adjustably slidably mounted on said seat post, Work supporting feet and retaining means secured to the terminal ends of said bracket members remote from the pivotal mountings thereof, meansior securing said bracket members in said predetermined inclined position and means for securing said bracket members and seat posts in folded position adjacent the bottom portion of the chest.

6. In av combined packing chest seat and Work support, a chest having a body portion of rectangular cross section open at its top, bracket members pivotally mounted Within the chest at a pair of opposed end portions thereof, a seat disposed at each-of said opposed end portions, posts connecting said Yseats to the adjacent bracket members, for pivotal movement relative thereto, the length of the bracket members extending from their pivotal mounting Within the chest to the pivotal connection with said posts being so -related to the chest that said bracket members may be pivoted to positions Where the posts may be engaged With the top edge of the opposed end portions of the body portion With the seats substantially horizontally disposed, and means for securing the bracket members and posts in position with said seats substantially horizontally disposed.

GALEN M. TAYLOR. SAMUEL G. GREEN. LEWIS R. BRADSHAW. 

